Venue: Grand Casino Arena, 199 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN
Puck Drop: 9:30 PM ET (per series schedule)
Injury Report
Dallas Stars
Miro Heiskanen (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)
Roope Hintz (C) – OUT, expected Apr 22 return (uncertain for Game 3)
Nathan Bastian (RW) – OUT until May 4
Minnesota Wild
Quinn Hughes (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)
Zach Bogosian (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)
Charlie Stramel (C) – OUT until Sept 15
Team Records & Statistical Profile
Regular‑Season Records
Dallas: 50‑20‑12 (24‑9‑8 away)
Minnesota: 46‑24‑12 (23‑10‑8 home)
Team Stats
| Category | Stars | Wild |
| Goals For / Game | 3.33 | 3.27 |
| Goals Against / Game | 2.71 | 2.87 |
| Shots For / Game | 25.3 | 29.2 |
| Shots Against / Game | 26.2 | 29.4 |
| Power Play | 28.6% | 25.2% |
| Penalty Kill | 80.3% | 79.8% |
Recent Form
Stars – Last 5
W 4–3 (SO) @ BUF W 6–5 @ TOR W 2–0 vs NYR W 5–4 vs MIN W 4–3 (OT) vs CGY
Wild – Last 5
W 3–2 vs ANA L 6–3 @ STL L 2–1 @ NSH L 5–4 @ DAL W 5–2 vs SEA
Goaltending Matchup
Dallas – Jake Oettinger
35–12–6, 4 SO, 2.59 GAA, .899 SV%
Rebounded in Game 2 after a rough Game 1 (allowed 5 goals in opener per NHL recap).
Minnesota – Filip Gustavsson
28–15–6, 4 SO, 2.69 GAA, .904 SV%
Wallstedt dominated Game 1 (.964 SV%), but Gustavsson remains the primary starter.
Key Player Matchups
Jason Robertson (DAL) vs. Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)
Robertson: 96 points, 45 goals
Kaprizov: 89 points, 45 goals
Both are elite finishers; whoever controls this matchup likely controls the game.
Mats Zuccarello (MIN) vs. Mikko Rantanen (DAL)
Zuccarello: 27 points in 31 career games vs DAL (regular season)
Rantanen: 44 points in 42 career games vs MIN (regular season)
Matt Boldy & Joel Eriksson Ek (MIN)
Both had 3‑point performances in Game 1’s 6–1 win.
Series History & Context
Series tied 1–1 after Minnesota’s 6–1 Game 1 win and Dallas’ 4–2 Game 2 response.
Game 3 shifts to Minnesota, where the Wild are 23–10–8 at home.
Historically, the Wild have struggled in first‑round series (seven straight losses since 2016).
Betting Trends
Dallas
5‑0 in last five overall entering series (per recent form).
Power play strong at 28.6%.
Oettinger stabilizing after Game 1.
Minnesota
Strong home team; higher shot volume.
Game 1 offensive explosion shows high ceiling.
Power play at 25.2% and aggressive forecheck.
Game Odds
Dallas Stars 5.5
Minnesota Wild – 130
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 21, 2026
